IT'S THE PRAXIS, STUPID

I encounter a great deal of 'spiritual' persons in my church work.

Lots of people tell me 'I am this' or 'I am that' or 'This is what I do'.

Most times however, it is not who they are or what they do, but who they once were and what they once did.

It is only through application of the principles of your faith or tradition that realization can occur. You cannot achieve any type of progress in your spiritual path without a steady and continued pace of practice.

This we find, easily conflicts with much of our day to day schedule, our busy lives, our spouses, our friends, our family and our own hobbies or interests. All too often, it seems, we find ourselves to willing to say- I can't do this right now because I have to do this. It's like saying 'I can't get better right now, because I am busy being sick'.

Too many times when we are confronted with the realization of our lack of practice or lagging practice we say 'Well, that just does fit with what I have to do this hour' or 'I am sorry, I really can't have anything more on my plate right now' like practice was an unwelcome obligation.

Practice is not yet another thing to be heaped on the plate- it will help you digest the overstuffed meal you have already made for yourself.

Prayer, contemplation, meditation, esoteric practice, religious ritual are all perfect examples of things that can help you to handle the rest of your day- before or after.

If you legitimately do not have time for at least 10 mins of prayer, spiritual reading or meditation, and I doubt those who say they don't, then a practice that I find is good for keeping a running spiritual exercise- is awareness and mindfulness.

Yes this is the oft repeated idea of being present in every moment that you find yourself- it is no slouch of an instruction. It also goes further than simply mundane concepts of being aware or awake in the physical sense.

A example of the same, at least as I am presenting it 'generically' , is the examination found in my 'Thou Shalt' entry. When you keep your mind aware of how your thoughts influence your actions, and how your actions affect the world around you, everyone benefits.

Arriving at awareness in your daily actions can be as simple as doing what you do, but doing it consciously. As the Zen story likes to say-

"A student once asked his teacher, "Master, what is enlightenment?"
The master replied, "When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep."

Coming from a Gnostic perspective- humanity is asleep on it's feet. The root of sin and wrong doing is not any kind of genetically hard-wired predisposition to failure- it is ignorance

We do what we do because we do not understand ourselves, our nature, the nature of the world and the people around us- and the fact that there is no separation between all those things.

Spiritual practice allows us to answer to the spiritual imperative- Awaken, See, Act - one moment at a time, one foot in front of the other.

It is not necessary to memorize tables of correspondence, swaths of scripture, and be able to bend your legs behind your head to achieve value from the spiritual traditions of the world.

Simply unplug your phone, shut off your computer, lock your door, sit down, close your eyes...

...and breathe

You now have the beginnings of path before you, and with a clear mind and awareness of your day to day actions, you can then begin to slowly face inward and walk the road of self-understanding.

There are many practices from many traditions that can give you a solid foundation with which to explore yourself- from Zazen, to Lectio Divina, from the Middle Pillar, to the Liturgy of the Hours

Some feel only comfortable working in the religious tradition they were raised in, some, like myself primarily maintain the spiritual path they are comfortable in- but also use techniques outside of the same that are harmonious and conducive to one's chosen path

What ever you choose, what ever you do, the most important part is -doing it- and
-keep doing it-

Regular spiritual practice at first can feel frustrating or unproductive, but with repeated use, and continuing to be mindful of one's 'mundane' actions, can form a solid core for self-exploration.